Godmen aka conmen thrive in Raipur

RAIPUR: A city activist Dinesh Mishra, working against superstition and black magic, has lodged a written complaint against publication of misleading advertisements, promotional pieces in newspapers by the self-styled Godmen who visit the city, stay in hotels and fool people by extorting money, rake in moolah with a thriving trade of giving solutions to people's problems.

"Having problems in relationship or struggling for job or a baby? Contact Samrat Musa Bengali and get all your issues solved. Samrat from West Bengal is staying at a private hotel in room number 420," reads an advertisement.

"Pamphlets with such advertisements of self-styled Godmen, come complementary with newspapers and magazines on a daily basis, inviting a huge vulnerable crowd fooling them on grounds of superstition," Mishra told TOI. "Lately, Raipurians are repeatedly being misguided and fooled by these Godmen, who visit the city as guests, stay in hotels for few days, charge hefty amount asking people to visit again on their next tour and play with their emotions. Therefore, I have made a complaint at SP's office against them," he added.

In a recent incident, a married woman lodged a complaint on Monday against one such 'baba'. Police had arrested two assistants of a self-styled Godmen Samrat Guru Munshaji from Uttar Pradesh, who charged the woman Rs 1,600 to solve her marital issues. The woman approached police after 15 days of payment, after she realised her problem remained unresolved and she was fooled. Rather, when she called Samrat, he asked her to visit again with Rs 1,500. Police said that Samrat was at large while the two accused were being interrogated.

"Such cases hardly get reported either because people are too superstitious or due to unawareness about the Drugs and Magical Remedies Objectionable advertisements Act. They eat any kind of stuff that these frauds feed them on false claims. Normally those struggling for job or promotion, craving for a baby, having relationship issues, weight loss and gain problems etc approach these tantriks and babas to solve their grievances and shell out their hard-earned money on the frauds," Mishra said adding that there are many people who give away gold ornaments also. These conmen use false names to save their identity.

Talking to TOI, superintendent of police O P Pal said, "These kind of cases come under incognizable offences and police can take action only after the complaint is registered. We have written to health authorities to test the samples of the medicines and eatables that the Godmen offer to people. Now onwards, whosoever, advertises or fools people will be brought in for inquiry and taken to task."

Approximately 50 such cases have been reported in the district over cheating that runs in to lakhs, a police official said.